44 Triumph Sprint RS
Three’s a charm.
46 Harley-Davidson
Softail Deuce
Deuce’s wild.
48 Kawasaki ZR-7
Entry-level access, baby.
50 Aprilia Pegaso 650
The bike that put the fun in Funduro.
52 VOR 503 MX
When wrongs make right.
53 Yamaha YZ426F
Yama-Thumper renewed!
54 Derbi GPR50R
Antidote to point-and-shoot.
55 Ducati 748R
The 996's little brother.
39 Original Retro
Kawasaki Commander 650.
41 The Real Deal?
Riding the Kawasaki W650 on an
(almost) all-British ride.
56 Making Space for History
Honda's CB350 Twin.
-by Phil Schilling
60 Up & Running
Go little Honda.
62 Back to the Boxer
Desert-warfare Beemer.
-by Jimmy Lewis
36 Kawasaki W650
Feel the vibe.
72 Long-Term Wrap-Up
Yamaha YZF-Rl.
66 Aerostich Drybag
Saddlebags
Water is their bag.
66 Russell Speedbleeders
Pump and go.
68 Pacific Crest Pipe Repair
The $40 alternative.
68 EVS Ballistic Jersey
Rocks be damned.
76 SuperTrackers
Dirt-track looks to the future.
-by Mark Hover
10
14
UP FRONT
Ups & Downs. 1999.
-bv David Edwards
LEANINGS
Britain vs. Japan. 1973.
-by Peter Egan
16 TDC
Dr>' injection.
-by Kevin Cameron
18 Letters
24 New Ideas
26 Roundup
94 Service
98 CW Showcase
106 Slipstream
Depending on your
point of view, my
garage is either too
small or contains too
many motorcycles.
The garage could be magnifi-
cently expanded into the rose
garden, but the Goddess of the
Garden and Protectress of All
Plants on that Hallowed Ground
resolutely dictates the status quo.
Fewer motorcycles would cre-
ate more room, but beneath my
garage floor lies some powerful
magnetic force that makes all
motorcycles permanent resi-
dents and occasionally attracts
newcomers. So it’s a stand-off
between the Floor Genie and the
Garden Goddess.
In this counterpoise my
motorcycles get packed in
tighter, more intricate ways. A
while ago, this high compression
opened a final parking space,
next to the door, for one last
machine: a compact, versatile,
universal roadster at home in
town and on the highway, and
preferably old enough to vote.
The Floor Genie realized that
an early Honda 350 Twin would
make a perfect fit. From 1968
through 1973, Honda produced
this 350 series in distinct ver-
sions. Both the CB350 Super
Sport and CL350 Scrambler
were street machines; the CB in
standard garb, the CL in tuffy-
boy dual-purpose livery. Honda
offered the SL350 as a more
legitimate off-roader, and it
was, though most SLs probably
got as dirty off-road as Ford
Explorers do today.
For a long time, these 350s
were the largest-selling “real”
motorcycles Honda ever built.
In the United States, 350
Hondas showed up everywhere,
a tribute to their wide versatili-
ty, fine performance, four-
stroke reliability, unburstable
ruggedness and great value. In
the late Sixties and early
Seventies, if you didn’t own an...